The present invention relates to apparatus for severing rod-shaped articles, particularly to improvements in apparatus for severing rod-shaped articles which contain tobacco or constitute component parts of rod-shaped smokers' products. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for severing rod-shaped articles which are transported in a direction at right angles to their axes and through a severing station where the articles are divided by a circular disc-shaped knife. Typical examples of articles which can be severed in the apparatus of the present invention are plain or filter cigarettes, filter rod sections and analogous rod-shaped articles which can constitute discrete rod-shaped smokers' products or which can be combined with other types of rod-shaped articles to constitute therewith rod-shaped smokers' products.
It is well known to subdivide a continuous cigarette rod into plain cigarettes of multiple unit length (e.g., double unit length) and to thereupon subdivide each such cigarette into shorter cigarettes, e.g., into plain cigarettes of unit length. Analogously, filter rod sections are often supplied in the form of sections of multiple unit length and, somewhere along their path toward or subsequent to assembly with plain cigarettes or the like, the filter rod sections of multiple unit length are subdivided into shorter sections or plugs, e.g., into sections of unit length. Still further, presently known filter tipping machines normally assemble plain cigarettes of unit length with filter rod sections of double unit length to form filter cigarettes of double unit length. Such filter cigarettes are thereupon subdivided into filter cigarettes of unit length by severing each cigarette of double unit length midway across the filter plug of double unit length, the plug being located between and being connected to the two plain cigarettes of unit length. In each such machine, the quality of the cut is important, i.e., the cutting implement should form clean cuts which should normally extend at right angles to the axes of the severed articles. This is not always possible by resorting to presently known severing apparatus. One of the reasons for the making of unsatisfactory cuts is that the knife is likely to vibrate or perform other undesirable stray movements when it is caused to rotate at a high speed and to repeatedly penetrate into oncoming rod-shaped articles. Vibration of the knife can entail the making of unclean cuts and the formation of ragged edges along the ends of tubular wrappers for tobacco and/or filter material.